Keith had a headache, and that headache’s name was Chloe Watercress.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU’RE ELOPING?” She reached out and gripped Julia’s arm for strength.

Grand Duchess Calisto had invited Henrietta and Keith to join Julia and Chloe and herself for dinner that evening after the council meeting, and everyone was talking about their plans moving forward.

“We just thought it would be easier on every one if we quietly—” Henrietta began.

Chloe shot to her feet. “Easier? EASIER? When were you thinking of eloping?”

Keith, who was the most interested in forgoing a big wedding, answered, “June? Their Royal Highness was invited, so they could be our witness. We would be in Peldeep in time for the Sunstone Festival.”

“That’s in less than a month!” Chloe looked at her fiancée. “They can’t do this. I can’t do this.”

“It’ll be alright, love,” Julia reassured her with a half smile. “I believe in you.”

“There’s no help for it!” Chloe placed the back of her hand gently to her forehead. “It’ll have to be a dual wedding.”

“What?!” Julia and Keith and Henrietta all shouted.

Chloe threw up her hands dramatically. “What else are we going to do? The king of the Dark Enchanted Forest can’t just elope.”

“But sharing our big day . . .” That was the first time Keith had ever seen the paladin pout. “Isn’t there another way?”

Grand Duchess Calisto, who had remained silent until this point, coughed gently. The woman slowly smiled and raised a single eyebrow.

Chloe and the duchess stared at each other for a long long second, while Keith just watched on confused.

“Fine! You win!” Chloe threw up her hands. “You were right, Julia.”

“I was?” Julia said, confused. Then she saw the pleased-as-punch look on her mother’s face, and something clicked. “Wait—”

“I can’t believe this. I can’t believe you’ve talked me into this!” The necromancer turned and waged a finger at the Dark Lord, who had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. “Lake Loria is ready. . . . It’ll be fine. We can issue invites in person for . . . one month. Oh gods. I can do this.”

Keith looked at Ria, who was suddenly blushing.

The necromancer started muttering about cake and wandered toward the doorway, everyone watching her leave.

“What’s in one month?” Keith asked.

Grand Duchess Calisto was the one who answered, looking pleased. “Your wedding, of course.”

...

“The flowers aren’t here! They were supposed to be here an hour ago. What are we going to do? Who do I have to murder to get a corpse rose around here? Keith!”

Keith walked up, dressed in his imposing Dark Lord’s robes. His collar was a little rumpled and was hanging open.

Rufus walked up with a flattering array of Venus lily blooms to place on the small tables decorating the clearing. He passed a single corpse rose to Keith.

“I knew there was a reason you were my best man!” Chloe stated, delicately pining the peonies in place for him.

Keith teased, “I thought Rufus was my best man.”

“I asked him first,” Chloe snapped. “Also, I am your best man. You are only getting a best man because I let you have my wedding.”

Despite adamant arguing on his part, Chloe was determined to throw them a wedding, come rain or shine. And she had invited everyone. In exchange, the Grand Duchess of North Sumbria was going to host Chloe and Julia’s wedding . . . and as Keith understood it, the wedding was going to be exorbitant. She would have a three-day celebration and then finish it with the Summer Masquerade.

They had arranged today’s wedding around Her Eminence Feliwyn, who still lay napping beside Lake Loria. The ceremony would take place near the belly of the curled-up dragon. The aisle stretched between hundreds of people from all around Valaria, many who were in the process of taking their seats.

It was almost time for them to process.

They got into position, and Chloe walked Keith up the aisle.

Rufus escorted Bronwynn, and Chikli escorted Lilith just behind. Julia’s brother was supposed to be in the wedding party to escort Julia, but a monster surge in the north had prevented him from attending, much to his mother’s frustrations. Calisto had not been pleased, but he was expected to come to Julia’s wedding during Summer Masquerade or there would be words. The duchess and her daughter were seated in the front row.

Gimtak kept popping back and forth from the Dark Enchanted Forest castle to be sure that everything was fine after they had all abandoned work for the day.

Their Royal Highness Rowen of Peldeep was the officiant chosen by the council to approve the proceedings, and they were in fine form. A stately gentleman wearing all pink arachne silk.

Lady Amy cried into the arm of a young Lamia woman to her left, then she straightened, then she sniffed, then she burst into tears again and turned toward the guest to her right. Derilla Vane looked at the elf with confused, restrained violence as she blew her nose in his direction. Keith watched his arachne friend choose to offer her a new handkerchief instead of just eating her, for which the Dark Lord was grateful.

Keith wasn’t looking forward to the inevitable spar Ria would have with Derilla before he returned to the mountains . . . but maybe it would give Keith a show of the arachne’s new abilities before their own fight that winter.

Baby griffins flew overhead with aid from the Pixie Prim, dropping flower petals on everyone. The griffins were an unexpected addition as well, and finding perches for their parents had been a fun last-minute [Crafting] on his part.

Bronwynn strummed her new lyre harp and began to pluck a delicate tune.

Keith hadn’t visited Feliwyn in all these years, and he had argued holding the ceremony here. At that moment, he was glad they did so, as even a napping godmother at his wedding felt somehow right.

He leaned down to whisper, “Good job, Chloe.”

She squeezed his arm hard. Not as hard as Henrietta, of course, but enough to show that she appreciated the compliment.

The music changed slightly, and Havork was there, escorting Henrietta up the aisle. She was beautiful, like always. Sweet and soft and lovely. Her dress had a corset-roped bodice and pleated skirts that fell to the knee on her right side but cascaded in waves down to the floor over her left leg. She wore knee-high white leather boots. Keith swallowed thickly.

His princess, now his queen.

His wife.